The amount of new material illegally shared on pirated websites dropped sharply after three alleged members of a group called Sparks were charged with conspiracy to copyright infringement. Sparks is a "release group" that allegedly acquires films, music and other digital material prior to their official release and puts them online.
US authorities conducted several raids in August.
A week later, the amount of new pirated material released decreased.
Film Studies
It decreased from 1,944 new pirated items across all categories in the week before the raids to 168 the following week,
Torrentfreak news site reported ..
The three men accused of conspiracy for copyright infringement were named in legal documents as Umar Ahmad, who lives in Norway, George Bridi from the Isle of Wight, and Jonatan Correa, whose location is not listed.
"The Sparks group successfully reproduced and released hundreds of movies and television programs prior to their retail release date, including nearly all films released by major production studios," US authorities said.
He accuses the group of causing "tens of millions of dollars in losses" to film studios.
'Achilles heel'
Sparks is believed to be part of a larger, more private community called The Scene.
"In piracy circles, people regularly breed the 'hydra,' a mythical multi-headed creature that can easily regenerate when a head is cut off," said Ernesto van der Sar of Torrentfreak.
"However, last week's busts are also reminiscent of another Greek mythology, the Achilles heel."
At the start of the blockade earlier this year, there was a wave of people looking for streams of piracy.
According to Fact, the UK's intellectual property protection organization, overall links to illegal streaming sites doubled between February and April.
